Volunteer Essentials

Progression and Girl/Adult Partnership in Planning In Girl Scouting, the development of girls’ leadership skills rests in the implementation of two basic concepts—progression and girl/adult partnership in planning: • Progression is the process of moving toward higher levels of complexity and difficulty, but only after the necessary groundwork has been laid and an adequate level of experience has been gained. As girls grow and progress in their own knowledge, skills and interests, so do the opportunities available through Girl Scouting • Girl/Adult Partnership in Planning: Meetings are built around girls’ ideas. When you put the girls first, you’re helping develop a team relationship, making space for the development of leadership skills, and allowing girls to benefit from the guidance, mentoring and coaching of caring adults. Girls learn to make decisions and accept the consequences of those decisions as they help plan activities for their troop. The Girl Scout Processes are integral to the girl/adult partnership. Leaders need to be aware of girls’ skill level in order to give enough, but not too much, direction

Developing a Troop Calendar

Developing a calendar for your troop will help organize activities, identify costs that will need to be met, facilitate scheduling assistance from parents and other volunteers and give girls and adults a feeling of accomplishment at the end of the year.

If your troop will be meeting for less than a year, adjust the calendar to suit your needs. Likewise, if you’re planning an event that will span more than one year (such as overseas travel), add one or two more years to the framework. Then consider the following questions: • How many times will you gather each month? • When will you break for holidays? • How many weeks do you need to allocate for the Girl Scout Cookie Program? • Will you have time in your schedule for guest speakers and other visitors? • Is the troop interested in badge work? Field trips? Other activities? Benefits of a Troop Calendar • Girls will be more engaged if they play an active part in figuring out “what, where, when, how and why” • Plans can be revised during the year according to girls’ changing interests, skills, behaviors and development • Not every meeting needs to center around a Journey, badge or activity

Tips for Calendar Planning

• Be willing to hear girls’ voices as they suggest activities or solutions • Include observances of Girl Scout Special Days • Include various religious holidays, observances and cultural holidays the girls may celebrate • Look for opportunities to include families in activities • Keep in mind the cost of planned activities

• Girl Scouting isn’t a to-do list: tuning in to what interests and excites girls and sparks their imaginations is far more important than checking activities off a list

Starting a Troop 39